Ultrasonic measurement apparatus, ultrasonic head unit, ultrasonic probe, and ultrasonic imaging apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9513263-B2
Application number	US-201414333894-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2014
Priority date	Jul 26, 2013
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

An ultrasonic measuring apparatus includes an ultrasonic transducer device having a substrate and an ultrasonic transducer element array that is arranged on the substrate, a first channel terminal group arranged at one edge portion of the ultrasonic transducer element array in a first direction, a second channel terminal group arranged at the other edge portion of the ultrasonic transducer element array in the first direction, a first flexible substrate provided on the one edge portion side and having arranged thereon a first wiring group that is connected to the first channel terminal group, a first integrated circuit apparatus that is mounted on the first flexible substrate and performs at least one of signal transmission to the first channel terminal group and signal reception from the first channel terminal group, a second flexible substrate provided on the other edge portion side and having arranged thereon a second wiring group that is connected to the second channel terminal group, and a second integrated circuit apparatus that is mounted on the first flexible substrate and performs at least one of signal transmission to the second channel terminal group and signal reception from the second channel terminal group. In the ultrasonic transducer element array, channels that are connected to the first channel terminal group and channels that are connected to the second channel terminal group are arranged alternately every channel in a second direction that intersects the first direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ultrasonic measuring apparatus comprising:
an ultrasonic transducer device having a substrate and an ultrasonic transducer element array that is arranged on the substrate;
a first channel terminal group arranged at one edge portion of the ultrasonic transducer element array in a first direction;
a second channel terminal group arranged at the other edge portion of the ultrasonic transducer element array in the first direction;
a first flexible substrate provided on the one edge portion side, and having arranged thereon a first wiring group that is connected to the first channel terminal group;
a first integrated circuit apparatus that is mounted on the first flexible substrate, and performs at least one of signal transmission to the first channel terminal group and signal reception from the first channel terminal group;
a second flexible substrate provided on the other edge portion side, and having arranged thereon a second wiring group that is connected to the second channel terminal group; and
a second integrated circuit apparatus that is mounted on the second flexible substrate, and performs at least one of signal transmission to the second channel terminal group and signal reception from the second channel terminal group,
wherein, in the ultrasonic transducer element array, channels that are connected to the first channel terminal group and channels that are connected to the second channel terminal group are arranged alternately every channel in a second direction that intersects the first direction.

2. The ultrasonic measurement apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in a first scanning period, the first integrated circuit apparatus transmits odd-numbered pulse signals, among 1st to kth pulse signals (where k is a natural number of 2 or more) to channel terminals belonging to the first channel terminal group, among 1st to kth channel terminals, and the second integrated circuit apparatus transmits even-numbered pulse signals, among the 1st to kth pulse signals, to channel terminals belonging to the second channel terminal group, among the 1st to kth channel terminals, and
in a second scanning period subsequent to the first scanning period, the second integrated circuit apparatus transmits the odd-numbered pulse signals to channel terminals belonging to the second channel terminal group, among 2nd to k+1th channels, and the first integrated circuit apparatus transmits the even-numbered pulse signals to channels belonging to the first channel terminal group, among the 2nd to k+1th channels.

3. The ultrasonic measurement apparatus according to claim 2 , comprising:
a processing part that outputs a control command for controlling transmission in the first scanning period and the second scanning period to the first integrated circuit apparatus and the second integrated circuit apparatus,
wherein the first integrated circuit apparatus and the second integrated circuit apparatus each include:
a plurality of transmission circuits that transmit pulse signals; and
a control part that controls the plurality of transmission circuits based on the control command.

4. The ultrasonic measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising:
a processing part that performs reception processing of reception signals,
wherein the processing part performs the reception processing, based on the reception signals from the first channel terminal group and the reception signals from the second channel terminal group obtained by the first integrated circuit apparatus and the second integrated circuit apparatus transmitting signals.

5. The ultrasonic measurement apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in the ultrasonic transducer element array, 1st to Nth channels (where N is a natural number of 2 or more) are arranged in the second direction,
the first channel terminal group is connected to odd-numbered channels, among the 1st to Nth channels, and
the second channel terminal group is connected to even-numbered channels, among the 1st to Nth channels.

6. The ultrasonic measurement apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first integrated circuit apparatus is mounted such that a long-side direction of the first integrated circuit apparatus coincides with a third direction that is a direction coinciding with the edge connecting the first flexible substrate to the first channel terminal group, and
the second integrated circuit apparatus is mounted such that a long-side direction of the second integrated circuit apparatus coincides with a fourth direction that is a direction coinciding with the edge connecting the second flexible substrate to the second channel terminal group.

7. The ultrasonic measurement apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein the first integrated circuit apparatus has a plurality of transmission circuits that are arranged in the third direction and transmit a signal to the first channel terminal group, and
the second integrated circuit apparatus has a plurality of transmission circuits that are arranged in the fourth direction and transmit a signal to the second channel terminal group.

8. The ultrasonic measurement apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first integrated circuit apparatus is flip chip mounted on the first flexible substrate, and
the second integrated circuit apparatus is flip chip mounted on the second flexible substrate.

9. The ultrasonic measurement apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the channels include a 1st element group to an mth element group (where m is a natural number of 2 or more),
the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements included in each of the 1st element group to the mth element group are electrically connected in parallel within the element group, and
the 1st element group to the mth element group are electrically connected in series.

10. The ultrasonic measurement apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the channels include a 1st element group to an mth element group (where m is a natural number of 2 or more),
the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements included in each of the 1st element group to the mth element group are electrically connected in series within the element group, and
the 1st element group to the mth element group are electrically connected in parallel.

11. The ultrasonic measurement apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first flexible substrate has a plurality of openings arranged in an array,
the ultrasonic transducer element array has an ultrasonic transducer element for each of the plurality of openings,
the ultrasonic transducer elements each include:
a vibration film that closes a corresponding opening among the plurality of openings; and
a piezoelectric element part that is provided on the vibration film, and
the piezoelectric element part includes:
a lower electrode that is provided on the vibration film;
a piezoelectric layer that is provided so as to cover at least a portion of the lower electrode; and
an upper electrode that is provided so as to cover at least a portion of the piezoelectric layer.

12. An ultrasonic head unit comprising the ultrasonic measurement apparatus according to claim 1 .

13. An ultrasonic probe comprising the ultrasonic measurement apparatus according to claim 1 .

14. An ultrasonic imaging apparatus comprising:
the ultrasonic probe according to claim 13 ; and
a display part that displays image data for display.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Endo Kogo

Classifications

• G01N29/343

  pulse waves, e.g. particular sequence of pulses, bursts · CPC title

• G01N29/2437

  Piezoelectric probes · CPC title

• G01N29/262 Primary

  by electronic orientation or focusing, e.g. with phased arrays (phased arrays per se G10K11/34) · CPC title

• G01N29/0654

  Imaging · CPC title

• G01N2291/106

  one or more transducer arrays · CPC title